What to look for in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCARKevin Harvick, who is atop the 2011 Chase standings after one race, celebrates his victory in the 2006 Chase race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(September 21, 2011)

Three-wide: What to look for in Sunday's Sylvania 300

1. Stewart takes charge. On the strength of his Chase-opening win at Chicagoland, Stewart heads for New Hampshire, where he has posted more top-five finishes (13) than at any other racetrack. The flat corners and old pavement suit his driving style.

2. Newman's opportunity. The No. 39 Chevy was the alpha dog in a 1-2 Stewart-Haas finish at Loudon in July. If Ryan Newman wants to establish himself as a contender in the Chase, he needs a repeat win at the Magic Mile, where he has 13 top 10s in 19 starts.

3. Avoiding the knockout. If drivers get a mulligan in the Chase, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth used theirs at Chicagoland, where they all fell short on fuel mileage. Realistically, to stay relevant in the title conversation, these three drivers need to finish in the top five.

Track analysis

The earth may not be flat, but New Hampshire Motor Speedway certainly is. The straightaways are banked an imperceptible one degree, and the corners go from two degrees at the apron to seven degrees near the outside walls. Because of the relatively flat corners, drivers constantly fight an understeer (push), which crew chiefs can try to counteract with big springs in the right rear. The advent of NASCAR's new racecar in 2007 compounded the challenge of Loudon, because the car lost weight on its left side and the center of gravity moved higher—making it more difficult to roll the centers of the corners and to get sufficient forward bite off the exits.

— Reid Spencer

Sporting News' pick: Kurt Busch

Busch excels on rhythm tracks where the driver is a substantial part of the equation. Busch will add a fourth win to his total at the Magic Mile and convince any doubters that he's a player in the Chase.